Mutahi Ngunyi Dumps Uhuru for Ruto
Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi has disclosed his decision to shift allegiance to the government's side and has pledged to support President William Ruto.
He admits that he held a biased perspective towards Ruto as he was looking through the "dynasty lens". Ngunyi previously served as a political advisor to former President Uhuru Kenyatta. Until recently, Ngunyi used to be a strong critic of the Ruto government but recently he softened his stance and urged the President to remain steadfast amidst anti-government protests.
"Public notice: I have defected to William Ruto. I misjudged him using the dynasty lens. But if the facts change, you must change your mind," Ngunyi said on Monday.
Just before he announced his defection, Ngunyi praised Ruto's leadership style, describing it as relational rather than transactional. He cited an example of Ruto having a conversation with dairy farmers on how to improve milk production and generate more profits. Ruto was on a five-day working tour of Mt. Kenya and had travelled to Mukuruweini to meet farmers. The President assured them that the government had stopped importing milk from other countries to give locally produced milk a free market.
"Ruto's 'grass-roots' politics in Mukurweini. The distinction between a hustler and a dynasty president is straightforward, a dynasty president is transactional while Ruto's presidency is related," he stated.
In 2018, Ngunyi predicted Ruto's victory over what he called dynasties, referring to the political alliance between Uhuru and Raila Odinga. Ruto emerged victorious in the August 9, 2022 election with 7.1 million votes defeating Raila despite claims that the latter received backing from what insiders referred to as the State machinery. Last week, the Political pundit advised President William Ruto to stand firm in his position ahead of talks with the opposition, saying that nations are not built by cowards. Ngunyi's comments came amid reports that Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga had agreed to engage in structured bipartisan talks.